EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 vs UV Physical SPF 41: Hybrid Lightness or Mineral Purity

UV Clear prints zinc oxide 9.0 percent with octinoxate 7.5 percent, a hybrid system, plus niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate in the lotion. UV Physical prints zinc oxide 9.0 percent with titanium dioxide 7.0 percent and no chemical filters at all. The interesting point is what the hybrid buys: transparency without pigment, which is why Clear needs no tint and Physical cannot do without one.

Clear sets sheer and untinted with no white cast, on any skin tone, and leans natural on oily and combination faces. Physical sets matte under a single light tint blended for fair to medium skin: a gift for shine control, an exclusion for deeper tones. Dry skin splits them differently again, since Physical's matte minerals can cling to flakes while Clear's lotion is the more forgiving texture.

Physical is water resistant for 40 minutes; Clear is not water resistant at all. Physical also arrives in a 3 oz tube against Clear's 1.7 oz pump, so the mineral pick is both the swim capable and the longer lasting purchase, while the pump is the tidier, more precise daily doser at the sink.